Fiction book reviews from the Mesa Public Library, written by a compulsive reader and librarian.

Search This Blog

Thursday, June 21, 2012

The Snow Child

The Snow ChildEowyn IveyLittle, Brown, 2012

Jack and Mabel came to Alaska to start again. Middle aged and childless, they left their easy life in the Midwest to test themselves in this harsh and wild land where their nearest neighbor is many miles away. Unfortunately, the work needed to homestead their claim is much more than Jack can handle, and he refuses to let Mabel help him outside, so she becomes lonely and longs for companionship. One night they forget their worries and build a snow child to pass the time. The next morning, the snow sculpture is gone and in its place is a small gift. Jack isn’t sure but he thinks he saw a little wisp of a girl vanish through the trees, wearing a red scarf.

Mabel sees the child too, and she thinks her mind is playing tricks on her. The small gifts the child leaves tell her otherwise. When she and Jack compare notes, they are reminded of the Russian fairy tale of a snow child that comes to life. Mabel becomes obsessed with finding this girl, whom she believes is the snow child come to life, and Jack worries that the remoteness and isolation have affected their minds. Does the girl really exist or have they invented her in a last attempt to have the child that they have longed for so many years? Or is it possible that a wild child could be living by herself in the mountains, coming to Jack and Mabel only when it suits her moods? The couple finds that the girl brings depth and meaning to their existence in the wilderness, even if they have to eventually let her run free.

This is a wonderful and captivating book. Although I was skeptical of the magical realism genre that has been assigned to it, it is not a fantasy and does not have magical elements. The reader may have to suspend some beliefs regarding small children surviving alone in the wild, but I found this very easy to do, especially when faced with the brave and engaging child named Faina. I loved the characters and their relationships: Jack and Mabel are caring and loving people who support and nurture each other and the child; Faina is a smart and strong child who tries to change herself for love but ultimately cannot; the neighbors that become close friends are spunky, humorous and literally, lifesavers. The author’s spare and clean writing style perfectly matches the snow and cold that is Alaska’s long winter, yet the reader will long for the warm summer as the characters do. I can’t reveal the ending except to say it is satisfying and bittersweet and perfect.

Rating:

This is the author’s first novel.

Other titles you may enjoy:

Mirror Mirror by Gregory Maguire (2003)
A retelling of "Snow White" set in Renaissance Italy draws a link between the original fairy tale and the Borgia family's infamous practice of poisoning its enemies.

Alphabet of Thorn by Patricia McKillip (2004)
Working in the royal library as a translator, Nepenthe becomes obsessed with a strange book, given to her by a young mage during the coronation of the new Queen of Raine, and begins to discover her destiny.

Stardust by Neil Gaiman (1999)
Living in a Victorian countryside town overshadowed by an imposing stone barrier, Tristran is compelled to retrieve a fallen star for the woman he loves and crosses to the wondrous other side of the barrier, where he encounters dangerous rivals for the star.